Archdiocese of Baltimore
Baltimoren(sis)
Metropolitan see · Latin Church · Baltimore, Maryland, United States
The Archdiocese of Baltimore is the premier (oldest) see in the United States, erected in 1789 and elevated to an archdiocese in 1808. It is the metropolitan see of the Ecclesiastical Province of Baltimore, led by Archbishop William E. Lori.
The see
- Rank
- Metropolitan see
- Tradition
- Latin Church
- Erected
- 6 November 1789
- Latin
- Baltimoren(sis)
- Patron
- Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary
- Annuario code
- 001000803
The see in figures
- Catholics
- 512,500
- Population
- 3,368,757
- Catholic share
- 15.2%
- Priests
- 405
- Catholics per priest
- 1,265
- Extent
- 12,340 km²
- Catholics per km²
- 42
of the people living within its bounds
Figures as recorded in the register, from the Annuario Pontificio and the see's own published statements. Shares and ratios are computed from the two figures shown beside them.
The bishop
- Archbishop
- William E. Lori
A see whose chair stands empty is recorded as vacant rather than filled with a guess. On what a bishop is, see the bishop.
The cathedral
Cathedral of Mary Our Queen stands in Baltimore, the church that holds the cathedra from which this see takes its name.
Its co-cathedral is Basilica of the National Shrine of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
On what a cathedral is, see the cathedral; every see church on earth is gathered at the cathedrals.
The province of Baltimore
This see is the metropolitan of its province.
The sees of this province:
- Diocese of ArlingtonArlington
- Diocese of RichmondRichmond
- Diocese of Wheeling-CharlestonWheeling
- Diocese of WilmingtonWilmington
On how the Church is ordered into provinces, see the diocese.
History
Northern and western Maryland form the territory of the Archdiocese of Baltimore (Latin: Archidiœcesis Baltimorensis), the metropolitan see of the Ecclesiastical Province of Baltimore and a Latin Church jurisdiction of the Catholic Church in the United States. It holds the distinction of being both the oldest diocese and the oldest archdiocese in the country: erected soon after the American Revolution, the original diocese covered the entire United States before further dioceses were established.
What is kept by invitation
The record above is published because it is public: what this see is, when it was erected, who holds its chair, and where it stands among its neighbours.
The working record is not. The chancery's address, telephone and email, the clergy of the see, and the hours of Mass, confession and adoration in the parishes within it are kept for members, and a person reads every request.
Sources
The see's own website · Wikipedia
This record is compiled from the published statements of the see and the references of the Holy See, among them the Annuario Pontificio. On the method, see the keeping of the record. Whoever finds an error is asked, in charity, to write: [email protected].